Memory devices provide data storage for electronic systems. Memory devices may include memory cells operatively coupled to one or more conductive lines, such as access lines (e.g., wordlines) and data lines (e.g., digit lines, such as bit lines) for reading and writing data to the memory cells. Individual memory cells are organized into individually addressable groups, such as bytes or words, which are accessed for read, program, or erase operations through address decoding circuitry using the wordlines and bit lines. The memory cells may be located at an intersection between a wordline and a bit line (e.g., as in a cross-point array, such as, for example, a three-dimensional (“3D”) cross-point memory). Each of the wordlines and each of the digit lines may be in electrical communication with the memory cell. To address each memory cell, a voltage may be applied to a wordline or a digit line in communication with the memory cell.
In some memory arrays, contact to the wordlines or digit lines are made utilizing a so-called “shark jaw” layout. FIG. 1 illustrates a “shark jaw” layout including conductive lines 2, each connected to a contact landing pad 14. The conductive lines 2 are connected to a voltage supply by contacts 16 formed on the contact landing pads 14.
In the “shark jaw” layout, the conductive lines 2 are substantially “L-shaped” with each pair of contact landing pads 14 inset from an adjacent pair of the contact landing pads 14. However, because each pair of contact landing pads 14 is inset from an adjacent pair of contact landing pads 14, the “shark jaw” layout wastes real estate of the semiconductor device. As the design size of semiconductor devices shrinks, the wasted real estate minimizes the overall number of conductive lines 2 that can be formed on the semiconductor device.
Moreover, as semiconductor devices having smaller feature sizes are formed, the proximity of adjacent conductive lines may be problematic when forming conductive contacts to the conductive lines. For example, at reduced feature sizes, it may be difficult to register and align the conductive contacts with the conductive lines. Misplaced conductive contacts may span across more than one conductive line and cause a short across the conductive lines contacted by the conductive contacts. The “shark jaw” layout does not address issues with registration and alignment that arise as device features shrink.